The pronoun Se: When should it be used. Part 1. Learning Spanish The natural way.

Learning Spanish TNW: When should I use Se and what does it mean?

                             

The pronoun "Se" is one of the most commonly used words in Spanish and, at the same time, one of the most difficult for English language learners.

In this guide, we will explore the different uses of "Se" in Spanish, comparing it to English to help you connect the things you want to say in the best and most natural way in Spanish.

And as always you can visit my Youtube channel Learning Spanish the Natural Way www.youtube.com/@Spanish_the_natural_way and watch the video of this article with more real examples plus comprehension and pronunciation.

In an effort to make it as easy as possible for you to understand it and be able to use it, we have divided this article by exploring just one use in each.

Se as a reflexive passive voice

Sometimes when we are having a conversation, the need arises to say something about objects or people to whom something happened, and that something is caused by something or someone. 

Unlike English where you can use verbs that involve a subject doing an action to another subject without referring to the causative agent, Spanish requires the use of Se to point to the causer.

• Active voice (active grammatical subject):

Laura hizo el pastel. Laura made the cake

• Passive voice with Ser-To be (passive grammatical subject):

La torta fue hecha (por Laura).  The cake was made (by Laura).

• Passive voice with Se (passive grammatical subject):

Se hizo la torta. The cake was made.

English has the first two options, the active voice and the passive voice with Ser, To Be.  The passive Se is a structure of Spanish (and other similar languages), for this reason the Spanish Se does not have an unique translation, but is understood as To be - Ser.

Se ha pintado la puerta. The door has been painted.

Se han limpiado las ventanas. The windows have been cleaned.

No se pueden encontrar los documentos. The documents can´t be found.

Se va a limpiar la oficina esta noche. The office will be cleaned tonight.

Se van a limpiar las calles esta noche. The streets will be cleaned tonight.

En esta ciudad no se puede usar bicicleta en la autopista. In this city you can't ride a bicycle on the freeway. / In this city, no bicycle can be ridden on the freeway.

En este país no se pueden usar los servicios de Uber. In this country you cannot use Uber services. / Uber services cannot be used in this country.

Where should it be placed?

When we use this structure, we can place the grammatical subject (passive agent) before or after the verb. The position depends on the whole context of the conversation or narrative.

Spanish: La casa se pintó   /   Se pintó la casa en muy poco tiempo.

English: The house was painted / The house was painted in a very short time.

Spanish: La puerta se arregló.  /    Se arregló la puerta.

English: The door was repaired.  / The door was fixed.

Spanish: Los helados se derritieron.  /  Se derritieron los helados.

English: The ice cream melted.  / The ice cream melted.

Spanish: El barco se hunde. / Se hunde el barco, tenemos que hacer algo.

English: The ship is sinking / The ship is sinking, we have to do something.

Spanish: Los vasos se rompieron. / Se rompieron los vasos.

English: The glasses broke. / The glasses broke.

Who did it?

There are also times when the causative agent of the action is implied, and while English can use a transitive verb without a causative agent, Spanish does not allow it.

The door opened.  >   La puerta se abrió.      NO:   La puerta abrió. 

The ice cream melted.  >   El helado se derritió.

In these phrases the door was opened by someone or even by the wind, if we use this phrase without the word Se it would mean something different, i.e. the door did an action. La puerta abrió algo. - The door opened something.

The same thing happens with the ice cream melting; heat, wind, etc can make the effect on the subject, in this case causing the ice cream to melt.

In fewer words

• We need to use Se when we talk about things or persons to whom an active subject performs an action and we do not name the causative subject.

• Se can be understood in these cases as To Be.

• The passive subject can come before or after the verb.

• The verb is conjugated by the passive subject.

Despite the differences in meaning and usage, mainly, and the fact that the variations in each Spanish-speaking country are perfectly acceptable in their cultural context, some of us use the R.A.E as a reference.

Thank you very much for reading our material and we sincerely hope that it will help you achieve your goal or bring you closer to it.